Counting Kisses
by Long Lost Intentions
Summary: Haruhi-centric. A collective shortfic of oneshots. First kisses fic. Haruhi/Everyone. Well technically Everyone/Everyone.


It was through a flurry of confused, desperate confessions (and some casual less than confessions) that they realized their strange predicament: they were in love. Not just two of them, and not even a love triangle that Renge would have gone feverish over. No, it was nearly all of them. Slowly but surely they had come to the somewhat relieving conclusion that their crushes that were tearing and twisting their hearts in an impossible number of directions were, more or less, mutual. Some, like Mori, provided a protective figure (perhaps because he was born and raised into the role), and had yet to endorse affections for anyone. Others, like Kyoya, simply refused to be open about it. However, it was obvious the names addressing each admiree attached to their favorite flowers and laid unbruisingly on their desks were written in his hand. The incident was never mentioned afterwards by any party when he was within earshot because his affections, when given, were rare and best left unacknowledged. It didn't matter, from then on there was some unwritten agreement that everyone felt the same way.

This did not mean, however, that their first kisses were immediate. Nor were they necessarily romantic, planned, or anything short of awkward. In a conversation some were having and others were forced to listen to, the twins admitted to no one's surprise that they had already kissed in the past. Experimentally, the first time. Not as much, the next several times. Tamaki had (to Kyoya's dismay) admitted the very same about himself and his friend trying desperately to ignore the whole conversation. It was Tamaki who had initiated it while drunk, they heard. But it was Kyoya who had reciprocated (twice) after some debate, under the very wrong assumption that Tamaki would not remember it when he was sober. As it turned out, Tamaki could handle drunkenness much better than would be expected. In fact he wasn't much different drunk than sober, except perhaps louder and more exuberant.

Haruhi's first kiss in the new relationship was predictably from a pair of brothers, primarily Hikaru. Though as with everything else in their relationship up till then, it was brought about through interference from Kaoru. It was a pre-Christmas party for special clients. A big ball every year was just getting far too expensive, even for them. Haruhi herself was headed towards the bathroom when she was jostled aside, only to be caught and steadied by a surprised Hikaru leaning in a doorway.  
"Not having any fun?" she asked, gaining her footing and brushing herself off. He shrugged but he was leering at the crowd since no one was nearby.  
"Kaoru told me to wait here while he went to the bathroom," he said.  
"Wait, what? I just talked to him over…" she trailed off as she turned to motion in the vague direction the boy had talked to her, when she caught sight of some familiar girls looking and pointing at them. No… Not at them. Just above them. She had a terrible suspicion what they might be fussing over. She leaned up against the doorframe and glanced up, grimacing ever so slightly. How corny, she'd have to have a strong word with the decorator when this party was over. She looked briefly at her fellow victim, sure they would laugh it off, and was surprised to see him actually (truly) blushing.  
"A setup…" he mumbled lowly, keeping his eyes everywhere else but on her. She grinned to herself a little and pushed off the wall. He was all talk with his brother around, but shy as anything by himself. She gestured to the crowd.  
"Well we've got an audience now, can't really keep them waiting…" as though she actually cared about that, though they were in uniform and expected to perform a little. She was half kidding, but he took it upon himself to lean in and meet her lips with his. Giggles and gasps erupted behind her, and the kiss was over as soon as it began.  
"But what about Kaoru?" one client whispered loudly.  
"Did they break up?" her friend replied. As if on cue, in fact she was certain he had planned it, Kaoru showed up parting the crowd and standing under the doorway with them. He feigned hurt with a hand over his heart, as dramatic as the night was cold, and sighed sadly.  
"I suppose those ARE the rules… But I'll only allow it if I get to share~" he announced, before pulling his brother into the first real kiss any audience had ever seen. Shrieks and gasps and laughter abound, the theatrics really got to them. Haruhi smiled to herself and shook her head, turning to walk away. She'd never understand that. She did not expect to feel an arm wrap around her waist and hold her back  
"Where are you going~?" it was Kaoru, not surprising. She raised her eyebrows and looked back at him.  
"Uh? The bathroom?" she replied, quiet enough to keep it from the crowd.  
"But you were under the mistletoe too~" he argued, and before she could reply he tugged her flush against him into a kiss as well. It took her off guard, there was no denying that, but perhaps it shocked the devotees more. She was no romantic, but she could definitely see how this would fluster someone. They sure knew how to put on a show.

As they all got more comfortable being around each other for extended periods of time, they started staying in one house or another together more often than not. It wasn't always intentional, it just happened that one would spend the night and another would pop over for a while and then a third might show up. In terms of cooking, Haruhi and Mori had the fairest chances of completing an entire meal without burning a dish. Likely, Kyoya could have if he could be bothered to try. Instead he kept the squirrelier members out of the kitchen, most of the time. If Honey ever wanted into the kitchen, there was no arguing with Mori. Mostly, they let him cut inconsequential ingredients that wouldn't affect the meal if most or all of them were eaten, but would not hurt the meal should any of them actually make it into the dish. It was on one such occasion that the second kiss happened.  
"Honey-senpai what are you doing with those?" Haruhi stopped chopping halfway through to stare at his cutting board, which was covered in halved strawberries and wet with juice.  
"Cutting them up for dessert!" he piped back, grabbing another one out of the bowl.  
"Well yeah, I mean where'd you get them? They never have them in the stores this early," she corrected, brushing off her hands absently. He shook his head, smiling.  
"We never buy them from the store! My parents have gardens at all our houses! So we have lots of fresh stuff to eat all the time!" he said, waving her over. She raised her eyebrows and started over.  
"Really? That's impressive…" she sat down where he was seated and blinked as a strawberry pushed up to her mouth.  
"Try one! We put really special soil in our gardens!" he insisted. She reached up to grab for it but he pulled it away with a devilish smile the twins would be proud of (in fact she had the distinct feeling they had rubbed off on him). She put her hand down and he pressed it to her lips again.  
"Open!" he kept right on smiling. She knew she'd never win, and he'd throw a fit if she refused. She rolled her eyes and took a bite, and had only a few seconds to concentrate on what it tasted like. He wasted no time in leaning in to bite off the other half and holding himself there much longer than needed, kissing her. Was this the best he could think of? Still it was… Surprisingly expert, not that she'd know really. His size really did fool even those closest to him into thinking he was young and innocent and positively… Prudish. This was clearly not the case at all. When the kiss broke she smiled a little and stood up to go back to chopping. 

The most surprising took place at the hospital, of all places, a few months after it has started. Whatever she (and everyone else) had with Kyoya, was quiet and reserved. That just seemed to be the way he was, though. She, who was good at reading people, didn't particularly mind. While some of the others could be a little overbearing with their affection, it was nice to have at least one person who was reserved. Even if he didn't show it, she could see it in the way he looked at them, the way he talked to them. It was softer, different. In all honesty, he was the one she enjoyed spending time with the most.  
After graduation he had begun training at one of the hospitals part time, while attending medical school. It turned out that, in a very small leap of rebellion, he had decided he was much better suited to working in the field than running behind the scenes like his father. It was a baby step, but it made them all proud regardless.

He was allowed to work minor cases and sit in on others, and Haruhi's broken wrist was a perfect exercise. Something in his bedside manner was strangely comforting. He became less detached when he helped people, especially people he liked. He was sitting in front of her, starting to splint her wrist.  
"Tell me why you traveled all the way across town when there is a perfectly suitable hospital two bus stops from your house…" he said, not looking up from his work. She was trying hard not to flinch every time the bandage tightened.  
"Because you could use the practice…" she said lightly. He paused briefly and glanced at her with raised eyebrows, but saw she was smiling, "Why do you think I came here?" she continued. He resumed his work and could see him smirking ever so slightly.  
"You do know you will see me during the weekend…?" he reminded her. She shrugged her good arm and looked around the room. It was small, but not as sterile as most.  
"Yeah but… I could see you now, too. Besides it's not like I broke my arm on purpose…" she responded. He hummed vaguely in response and she was busy trying to read a poster intently on the wall next to her. Something about choking hazards. She hadn't even noticed that his hands had stopped working.  
"Haruhi," he said simply as he started to stand, grabbing her attention back to the present. She turned her head to address him and was promptly met with a mouth over her's. It was unexpected, but definitely not unwelcome. In fact it ended a little too soon for her liking, and she willed herself not to be too dazed afterwards. He was already walking to grab the paperwork she'd brought in and was writing a recommendation.  
"Didn't take you for the sneaky kind. Actually… Scratch that," she said tentatively, smiling.  
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. A complete accident, I assure you," he said, never stopping his paperwork but smiling to himself. Maybe this was the best she would get out of him, stolen kisses and poorly constructed denial. Maybe, she thought, that was all she really needed from him though.

When Tamaki had pretty much invited himself over to help with her art project (a required class, much to her dismay), there was no denying she was skeptical. However, the offer was, indeed, completely genuine. In fact ever since the Great Confession, as it had come to be known, he was far more reserved and careful in his actions. Almost as though he were trying to preserve what he'd gained, and was afraid of doing something wrong. The attitude was so different and far-flung from his usual confident airs that she grew to find it endearing.  
When their hands collided for the third time he opened his mouth to apologize again, but closed it thinking better. Mostly because she had already told him to quit apologizing. His arm still tensed, as thought an electric shock went through him.  
"You don't have to be so nervous, you know," she said over the loud drumming of rain. He looked surprised that she would even suggest it, he probably thought he was doing a good job at hiding it.  
"Who said—" he began, but was promptly cut off with a startling crack of thunder, followed by a closer, louder bang on the table in front of him. He turned his attention back to his project partner and found her palms flat on the table turning the tips of her fingers white, and her wide eyes staring at the window. She always seemed so invincible, it was easy to forget even she had weaknesses. He reached out to comfort her but another burst of loud thunder and lightning doused the lights. He heard skittering and frowned, reaching into his pocket for his phone to light up the room. Squinting in the bright beam, he was vaguely alarmed to not see Haruhi anywhere.

"Haruhi…?" he asked, looking around the room. It was small, not like she could have gone anywhere in the dark. Except… He leaned to the side and smiled a little, seeing her feet sticking out from under the table. It was a lot smaller than when she was younger. He crawled around to the other side of the table and lifted the cloth. She had her eyes shut tightly and her head cradled in her arms, covering her ears. He hoped briefly that he wouldn't startle her too much. He flattened himself out as best he could and crawled under. It was uncomfortable on his side, but he shrugged it off. The light made her open her eyes again, and when the thunder tore through the room again she moved closer instinctively. He put his arms around her, caught off guard somewhat, and trying desperately to accommodate the awkward position. He was relaxed, quietly murmuring comforting things and petting the back of her head soothingly, thinking perhaps she would fall asleep through the rest of the storm. Instead, she pulled back enough to look at him with her wide eyes reflecting the dim light from the phone. For a second he was nervous, she had no readable expression on her face, just looking at him. Then, before he knew what was happening, she leaned in and kissed him. Not a hint of hesitation as he'd come to expect. It sent his pulse into a wild frenzy and all he could do when the kiss broke was stare right back, feeling distinctly warm. For all the times he'd thought about kissing her, he was unprepared for actually following through. He must have looked funnier than he thought, because a smile split across her face and she started laughing. It sounded relieved, and that made him relieved. Maybe this should become their tradition every thunderstorm.


End file.
